HAMDEN, N.Y. (AP) – A 73-year-old pilot who made an emergency landing without incident last week wasn’t so lucky when he tried to take off again Tuesday.

State police said David Snyder, of Doylestown, Pa., flew into a tree, knocking a wing off his plane, when he tried to take off from the same abandoned airstrip in Delaware County where he had landed five days earlier.

Snyder and his wife, June, had been traveling Thursday from Burlington, Vt., to their home when the plane’s engine stalled at about 8,000 feet, forcing them to land in an open farm field in Hamden, about 100 miles southeast of Syracuse.

Federal Aviation Administration officials examined the Mooney single-engine four-passenger plane and said they believed the stall was caused by ignition failure. Officials said Snyder was lucky to see the old landing strip and land the plane safely.

Snyder had the plane fixed and on Tuesday tried to resume his journey. He didn’t get far.

He attempted to take off, but realized there was a problem and tried to abort, state police said. The plane ran off the end of the field, clipping a tree and shearing off the left wing.

“We watched it go down the field, but it never really got off the ground and then it veered and hit a tree,” John O’Connor, whose son-in-law owns the field, told The Daily Star of Oneonta. “I guess we didn’t pray hard enough, but sometimes prayers aren’t answered for a reason.”

Neither Snyder nor his passenger, who was not identified, were injured, said state police Sgt. Donald Cooperman. It is unlikely Snyder will face any criminal charges, he said.

“He doesn’t appear to have broken any laws,” Cooperman said. “He is a licensed pilot and the plane is registered with the FAA. He just had a bad day.”

AP-ES-07-02-03 1030EDT

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